Americans also have classical new year’s concerts, and there are good ones too. Boston Symphony Orchestra (yes, the one Seiji Ozawa tenured for 29 years as music director and built its international reputation) branches an offshoot “The Boston Pops”. The pop orchestra features partial players from the BSO and specializes in light classical and popular music.
The Boston Pops performs in BSO’s symphony hall, but the the seating on the floor of the symphony hall is reconfigured from auditorium seating to banquet and cafe seating. Also, the night’s program is pop-infused—for example, 2013 features a lot of Swing and Jazz, and dance and alchohol are allowed (see details here); 2024 features Bernadette Peter with broadway selections.
this is BSO’s symphony-hall—imaging rows of auditorium seats being changed to table seatings
You can literally feel the joyful openness of the American spirit from the pop orchestra. It’s an assembly of first-class musicians but the programs embrace popular culture. The pop orchestra even had Shaquille O’Neal conducted in a holiday concert in Dec. 2010.
